Friday, October 8, 2010

"Hyphen is a magazine about Asian America for the culturally and politically savvy. Built around a clarity of image, word and social awareness, Hyphen takes form from the artists, thinkers and creators who are shaping a new multiethnic generation.

Hyphen is not a formula but a sensibility—not a collection of recycled fare with an Asian flavor, but original reporting on stories that move beneath the mainstream. Curious and questioning, Hyphen looks into the hard issues, but also the Asian American by accident, by tangent or by happenstance. Visually arresting, it strikes the gut with clean design, sharp photography and original illustration.

Like its readers, Hyphen is many things—cool librarian, shy musician, dorky hipster, cute techie. Like Asian America, its interests are varied—politics, art, health, music. Much like the hyphen connects words and concepts, Hyphen magazine connects readers with Asian America as it happens."

Launched in 2002, Hyphen is a nonprofit, all volunteer magazine printed three times a year. Based out of the Bay Area, Hyphen has been putting out an award winning magazine for almost a decade. You know how you sit around with a few friends and ask "how can we create something that we care about and believe in," and then (if you're like me) you forget about it the next morning? Well check out the story behind Hyphen's beginnings, which shows you what a dedicated and talented group of people can do.

The Hyphen staff puts in so much time, heart, and effort into make Hyphen a success that it would only be right for everyone to support them by subscribing and donating. They are currently in the middle of a fundraising campaign and everyone knows how hard it is to put out a quality paper mag nowadays so help'em out! Also, Hyphen is always on the lookout for passionate volunteers to join their business, editorial, events, and web teams. And if you got a short story to share, Hyphen's new fiction editor is looking for submissions.

On top of publishing a magazine and hosting social events around the Bay Area, Hyphen also organizes an annual Mr. Hyphen competition. This year's winner will be crowned on November 6th. What is Mr. Hyphen? Glad you asked.

"Mr. Hyphen turns stereotypes about Asian males on their heads. The competition is structured like a pageant with rounds of talent, fashion and Q&A in front of a sold-out crowd. Striking a blow for equal-opportunity all-in-good-fun ogling, Mr. Hyphen is an energy-filled evening of fun and charity. And to top it off, the man crowned Mr. Hyphen wins a $1,000 cash donation to his nonprofit organization."